Deja Ve
by ChessieKittie
Summary: I think I've been here before, I think I've run into you. I know the things that you do, 'cause this is deja ve. I did it like this, I did it like that, and it always comes back somehow. I don't know how to break this pattern down.
1. Lexi Steinfeild

Lexioanna Lynn Steinfeild_ (Pronounced Lex-e-on-a)_

Hair: Black, Straight, Bangs, Waist-Length

Eyes: Emerald Green

Height: 5'7

Personality: Curious, Adventurous, Teasing, Sarcastic, Smiles Easily, Calm when mad, Observant

Hobbies: Reading, Messing with Technology, Getting into Trouble

History: Lexioanna Lynn Stienfeild was born on April 23rd. She was 'dumped, at an orphanage a few weeks later with all the paperwork, excluding who the parents were. Lucky for a well-off couple adopted her, for the mother couldn't conceive children. They raised her as their own, Mr. Steinfeild had a job programming computers, after Lexi reached the age of seven, he started taking her to work with, showing her how to do it. Mrs. Steinfeild was a stay at home mother, and home-schooled Lexi.

Feeling mildly stifled by her mother, Lexi would sneak out at night and wander around, going nowhere in particular. She often out ran the cops whenever her mother would discover her gone and call them. Of course this never stopped her, it only added to thrill of it all. Lexi wasn't ungrateful for the Steinfeilds have given her, but she always found herself bored with her position in life. Just waiting for an adventure to pop up for her.

It was through this, that Lexi met Rose Tyler and her boyfriend Mickey. The three quickly become friends, even though they didn't live near each other, the trio met up every weekend to hang out. Either Lexi stayed at Rose's, or her and Mickey stayed at Lexi's house.


	2. Chapter 1 Lexi

_For those of you who have already red this, I actually added a lot to this chapter, I decided that I'm not going to split up the episodes into different chapters. So, here we go!_

A dark haired girl wearing a white tank-top with a black glitter dipped rib cage design, and slashes in the side, with a tie detail on her waist, underneath it she wore a white ban-due top, and black skinny jeans tucked in to a black pair of Doc Martens, walked down the street to her friend Rose's flat building. She quickly glanced down at her phone to see what time it was. She let out a small groan as she saw her friend wasn't off work yet. _'Oh well,'_ she thought, _'at least Jackie will be home to keep me company.'_ Jackie being her friend's mother. Rose was nineteen, making her self a year a older. The girl walked up the stairs, found the right door and let herself in. Seeing Jackie she said a quick hello, only for said woman to jump.

"Lexi! Have you seen the news?" When the girl shook her head, Jackie quickly explained as Lexi bent over to grab a cookie off the coffee table. "The shop Rose worked at exploded, and she hasn't come home yet!" Lexi froze mid bite, long, straight black hair fell over her shoulder to cover her shocked face. Before she could ask more, Jackie's telephone began ringing and she answered it, talking to one of her friends about the news. Lexi numbly ate the snack in her hand, barely registering that she was. She was broken from her concentration when the front door burst open, leaning back, a grin broke out on her face. Lexi shot up and hugged Rose.

Rose had shoulder length blonde hair, and big expressive brown eyes. At the moment she looked shaken up, and she was caring a plastic arm. Lexi grabbed Rose's hand and led her to the sofa. As soon as Rose sat down, Lexi began questioning her.

"What happened? Where you sill in the building? Are you alright? Do you think it was intentional? If so who do you think it was?" Rose gave a small chuckle at her friend, knowing the girl would be incredibly curious.

"I'll tell you later." Seeming unsatisfied with the answer, Lexi gave Rose a look that said 'you definitely will'. Jackie came through talking on the phone, over exaggerating everything, causing both girls to roll their eyes.

Mickey walked in and immediately started fretting over Rose. "I've called you ever since this aired on the news. You could've answered your mobile. For all I knew you were dead." Mickey hugged Rose ignoring her protest. He sat between the girls and started questioning her. Rose became evasive, saying she didn't know. Jackie handed the phone to Rose saying someone wanted to interview her for five million quid. Rose got snarky, grabbed the phone and hung up. Then Mickey tried convincing her to go to the pub saying she needed something stronger then tea. With a knowing smile, Lexi spoke up.

"You just want to watch the match don't you?" Mickey shook his head trying not to look guilty.

"What? No! That's not it at all! Why would you say that?" Rose smiled and told him it was okay, go ahead with out her. Mickey looked over to Lexi who shook her head, smiling at them.

"Oh, will you get rid of the arm on your way out?" asked Rose, not feeling like doing it herself. Mickey nodded, gave Rose a kiss, grabbed the arm, and headed out.

"Hey!" called Lexi, "where's my good-bye?" Mickey grinned at her and held out his arms. With a smile Lexi jumped up and hugged him. Then he left when she let go.

Later that night, found the two teenagers curled up on the couch, with Jackie having gone to bed. Rose decided to tell Lexi exactly what had happened, knowing the ravenette would be more curious than anything else.

"Hey Lexi?' she asked, getting 'hmm' in reply. Green eyes flickered from the TV to Rose. "I'm about to tell you something really important." Lexi nodded, eager to know what it was. "It's about what happened at the shop. I was on my way out the door when the security guard handed me the prize money to take up to Wilson. So I took the elevator to the basement and knocked on his door a couple of times, nothing happened, but I heard this noise from one of the other rooms. I walked back to check it, and found a room full of plastic mannequins. I walked in it seeing another door, and heard a slam behind me. When I turned around the door I entered through was closed, and I couldn't get it opened. The mannequins started moving.

At first I thought it was a joke, but no one would answer me. They corned me against a wall, and a I closed my eyes thinking 'there's no way to get out'. When this strange man comes out of nowhere, grabs my hand, and tells me to run. He led me down a hallway, to another elevator, and a mannequin stuck its arm between the doors, the man pulled it off. Then he threw it at me, saying it was plastic. I asked him if it were students he gave me weird look and asked me 'why students?'. So I said 'cause to get that many people you would need a lot of students. He said 'that's good, but no.'" Before Rose could continue, Lexi interrupted.

"What did the man look like?"

"Right, he was taller than me, a shaved head, which really wasn't good 'cause he had big ears. He was wearing jeans, boots, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket." Lexi giggled when Rose said 'he had big ears' and she made a motion for it. "Then I told him about Wilson, and he told me Wilson was dead, that's when the elevator door opened. He pulled out this little trinket, pointed it at the elevator button, it made a weird noise, and blew the button up. Seeing that, I forgot the problem for the moment and said 'Lexi would love that'. He asked who you were and I told him, he nodded his head. That's when I asked what those things were if not students, he said 'living plastic'. 'They're being controlled be a relay device on the roof, which would be a problem if I didn't have this', you would have that little bit too.

He led me too a door opened it and pushed me saying 'I might die in the process, but don't worry about me. Just go away. He even did the hand motions like you would to a pet or a toddler. Apparently if I tell anyone about this…" Rose's voice trailed off, remembering the warning too late. She looked at the girl sitting across from her with wide eyes, wondering what she had just done.

"Rose?" Lexi asked. "Are you okay?"

"He said if I tell anyone, it would get them killed," Rose said her voice barely above a whisper.

Lexi shrugged and said "Oops." Rose stared at her, wondering what was going on through Lexi's head at moment. Seeing the look on Rose's face, Lexi smiled. "Look Rose, it's too late now, and he could have just been saying that to scare you. Let's not dwell on it and go to bed, kay?" Rose nodded and followed the other girl to her bedroom.

"Oh, he said he was 'The Doctor', and I told him my name. Then he told to run for my life, when I was a block away, that's when the building exploded." Lexi made a noise as she fell asleep. 

Rose's alarm went off the next morning, earning a groan from Lexi. Rose turned it off as her mother called "There's no point getting up sweetheart. You don't have a job to go to. After a few minutes the girls got up, and got dressed. Rose wearing a t-shirt, jeans, and pink jacket. Lexi wore a Batman pullover that hung off her shoulders, the girl is obsessed with Batman, denim skinny jeans, and her Doc Martens. Lexi ran her fingers through her hair as she walked down the hall and sat down at the kitchen table. Jackie placed a plate with two slices of buttered toast down in front of her, along with a steaming cup of coffee, two creams on sugar. Lexi smiled her thanks and listened to Jackie and Rose talk about getting her a new job.

"You could always work at Finches." Lexi scrunched her nose at that option, as Rose shook her head.

"The butchers? No thanks."

"Well you need some way to make money. I'm not joking about compensation, you've gone through genuine shock. Ariana got two thousand quid off the council just because the old man said she looked Greek." Jackie said a s she walked away

"Isn't she Greek?" Rose called out.

"Yes, but that's beside the point," Jackie called back. The girls heard the cat flap in front door move as Rose yelled at her mother.

"Mum! I told you to nail down that flap weeks ago!"

"I did! Lexi was even here to help!" Rose looked at said girl as she nodded.

"Besides Rose, look down." Rose raised an eyebrow in question but did as she was told, seeing the nails on the floor. The cat flap moved and both girls jumped, Lexi crouched next to Rose, pushing her hair back out of her face. Rose pushed the flap open to see a man staring back at her. Rose jumped up and grabbed Lexi's hand pulling her up. As soon as she opened the door, the man hoped up, and gave the girls a curious look. 

The Doctor had traced the signal to a flat. He looked around, wondering why it had led him there. He laid on the ground, spotting the cat flap. He poked it, nothing happened. The Doctor frowned at that, he pulled out his sonic screwdriver, pushed a button, and the nails on the other side fell out. He grinned at the small success and started messing with the flap. He heard footsteps come closer, a girl yelling at her mother, then another girl telling the first to look down. He silently congratulated the second girl for noticing. The flap opened to show blonde hair and brown eyes, the girl immediately dropped the flap and opened the door.

When the door opened, the Doctor shot up, surprised to see the blonde, Rose, as he recalled, from last night. Seeing movement, his eyes landed on another girl. The unknown girl was tall, but not taller than him. She had her arms crossed and was staring at him. She had long, straight, black hair and bangs, her eyes were emerald-green, but that's not what drew him in. No, it was the curiosity in them, the thirst for knowledge. She had a small smile on her face, dimples peeking through. Looking back at Rose the Doctor gave a confused look.

"What are you doing here?"

"Me?" she asked incredulously. "I live here."

"Why do you live here?"

"Cause I do. You're the one who lost me my job." Rose was frowning as he soniced the door, making the other girl's eyebrow raise in question.

"That's got the wrong signal." He looked from the sonic to the girls, confusion on his face. "You're not plastic are you?" He knocked his hand on Rose's head, and went to do the same to the other girl, but she moved.

"Sorry, I don't know about you, but I don't let strange men knock me on the head."

"Strange? Me? I'm not strange!" This only made the girl smirk.

"Oh really? Do you mind telling me what exactly you're doing here, messing with the cat flap? Now that I think about, how did you get the nails out?" the Doctor quickly scanned the girl, just to make sure the signal wasn't coming from her. "and what is that thing?" she said pointing to his sonic screwdriver.

"Neither of you are plastic so have a good day." Grabbing his arm, Rose pulled him inside.

"Oh no you don't," Rose said, "you get in here." Quickly shutting the door Rose turned around and walked away.

The Doctor looked at the ravenette and said, "Is she always this pushy?" Gaining him a smile, and a small chuckle.

The girl held out her hand and said, "Hello, I'm Lexi." The Doctor grabbed her hand, shook it, and introduced himself. He briefly remembered Rose mentioning a "Lexi' last night. He watched her eyes widen slightly and she called out to Rose. "Rose, you were right." Lexi walked forward motioning for him to follow after her.

"What about?" Lexi flashes a grin over her shoulder at the Doctor.

"He does have really big ears."

"Oi! I do not!" he said, earning a laugh from both girls.

"Whatever you say Doctor." Lexi sat down in the recliner, the Doctor looked around while Lexi was reading a book. Rose was talking to them while doing dishes in the kitchen.

He picked up a magazine, showed it to Lexi, and said, "That won't last, he's gay and she's an alien." Lexi snorted and rolled her eyes at the comment. He then took the book from her, flipped thorough and said, "Hmm, sad ending."

"I was reading that. Now you've ruined it." Lexi frowned at the Doctor, but her eyes sparkled with laughter.

He shrugged and said, "Oops, oh well." He picked up a couple of letters, most of them addressed to 'Rose Tyler', he found another, and said the name out loud, confused. "Lexi-o-anna Steinfeild? Who's that?"

Lexi rolled her eyes and said, "It's pronounced _Lex-e-on-a_, and that's me."

"I thought your name was Lexi," he responded.

"It's a nickname Doctor." The Doctor then looked in a mirror and smiled.

"Not too bad this time. Although, you are right, the ears are a bit big." Lexi smiled, wondering whet he meant by 'not too bad this time'. The Doctor picked up a deck of cards, and ended up throwing them every where, gaining a snicker from Lexi, who was watching with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. That flap sounded, and the Doctor asked if they had a cat, Lexi shook her head, as he lent over a couch.

The Doctor shot back making Lexi jump, and seeing that their was an arm around his neck, she stood up to help him pull it off. Rose walks in carrying three cups of coffee, and sees the Doctor and Lexi struggling with the arm.

"Oh how cute, you got Lexi involved. I thought I told Mickey to through it out. Give a boy a plastic arm." Shaking her head Rose continued. "Anyway I don't even know your name, what was it Doctor what?" The hand let go off the Doctor and grabbed Lexi's face making her squeak and fall, breaking the coffee table. The Doctor slid out of his seat and landed next to her. He grabbed the hand and began pulling, they rolled, and the Doctor pulled out his sonic and used it. The hand let go off Lexi, the Doctor grabbed it, and started using his sonic again. Rose bent down to make sure that Lexi was okay.

"There you go, I stopped it." He threw the arm at Rose and she jumped back. "that was a bit dangerous."

"You think," said Rose smacking the Doctor making him say 'ow'. He ran off with the girls following after him. "Now hang on a minute, you can't just go swaddling off!"

"Yes I can, and I will. See this is me swaddling off."

"That arm was moving! It tried to kill me!" said Lexi exasperated.

"No, actually it tried to kill me, you were just in the way."

"Well, I feel special," Lexi muttered underneath her breath. Aloud she said, "Come on, Doc. You have to tell me what's going!" This caused him to pause, making Lexi run into his back, her being ahead of Rose. He turned and stared at her.

"One, don't call me 'Doc', and two, I don't have to tell you anything." He turned and took off again, making Lexi huff and roll her eyes before following after.

"Alright, you told me not to tell anyone, 'cause it could get them killed. I'll go to the police, I'll tell everyone, and get them killed," stated Rose.

"Is that supposed to be tough?' he asked.

"Probably," stated Lexi, receiving a glare from Rose and smile from the Doctor.

"Who are you?" Rose asked.

"I told you, I'm the Doctor." Rose rolled her eyes, not believing, and Lexi to grin slightly.

"Yeah, but Doctor what?"

"Just the Doctor?"

"Hello Doctor?" Lexi asked.

"Hello!" He grinned and waved at her.

"Is that supposed to sound impressive?" Rose asked.

"Sort of," he admitted.

"Come on tell me," said Rose, "I've seen enough." The Doctor shook his head. Lexi slinked up to his other side, then stopped in front of him.

"If you won't tell her will you at least tell me? Please?" Lexi begged, her curiosity eating away at her. "Please, Doctor! Pretty, pretty, pretty please!" He shook his head, stepped around her, and continued walking.

"Are you the police?" Rose asked.

"No, I was just passing through."

"What have we done wrong? Why do those plastic things keep coming after us?

"Oh, so suddenly the world revolves around you two?" Lexi shrugged her shoulders as Rose frowned. "You two were just an accident."

"It tried to kill Lexi!"

"She's got a point Doc." He glared at the ravenette, she smiled in return.

"No, it was after me. Last night in the shop you blundered in, almost wrecked the whole thing. This morning I was tracking it down, it was tracking me down, and the only reason it fixed on you is 'cause you met me."

"Oh so the world revolves around you?" Lexi asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Sort of, yeah."

Lexi snorted and said, "And you thought we were self-involved." The Doctor flashes a grin at her.

"You're full of it!" Rose says, a smile in on face.

"Sort of, yeah."

"All this plastic stuff, who knows about it?" Rose asked.

"Besides you two? No one."

"So, you're on your own?" asked Lexi.

"Well who else is there? You lot all you do is eat chips, go to bed, and watch the tele, when all the time underneath you there is a war going on."

"Okay, start from the beginning." said Rose, taking the plastic arm from him. The Doctor shrugged. "I mean if we're going to be going over the living plastic, I don't even believe that, but if we do, how did you kill it?"

"The thing controlling it projects life in the arm, I cut of the signal."

"So that's radio control?" asked Rose.

"Sort of," answered Lexi, a thoughtful look on her face. "Except it has to be much more complicated than that if what you told me Rose, is true. You said there was more than one mannequin. Meaning either a bunch of controls, or one giant control acting as the main frame. Seeing how the arm was separated from the original mannequin, I'm going to assume the latter." The Doctor gave Lexi a look of surprise, and she blushed, brushing her hair back. "Sorry, I know electronics, Dad's a programmer." The Doctor nodded seeming satisfied with this answer. "There's just one question then, who's controlling it?"

"Long story."

"What's it all for?" Rose asked, "I mean shop window dummies? What's that about? Is someone trying to take over Britain shops?"

The trio laughed as the Doctor said "No, it's not a price war. They wanna over through the human race and destroy all you. Do you believe me?"

"As great as that first bit doesn't sound, yeah I believe you," stated Lexi, glancing up at him, a shy smile on her face. Rose, seeing this smile, knew exactly what it meant. Despite just meeting him, and possibly almost dying, Lexi was crushing on the Doctor. Rose couldn't help but grin at the idea, they did look good together, and as far as she knew, Lexi hasn't dated boys, because they get scared off when she know more about technology then they do. Unlike Lexi, she didn't believe him., and she said so.

"You're still listening," the Doctor stated. Rose stopped and grabbed Lexi's hand, making her stop too.

"Really though, Doctor, I want to know who you are." '_Before I let Lexi go gallivanting after you.'_ For Rose knew, that if Lexi had the chance, she would go on an adventure, doesn't matter who with or where to, just so long as she goes. The Doctor stopped and turned around, facing the girls.

"Do you know like we were saying, about the Earth revolving?" Stepping forward, he continues. "It's like when you're a kid, the first time they tell you that the worlds turn and you just can't quite believe 'cause everything looks like it's standing still? I can feel it," he grabbed each of the girls' hand. "Every turn, each sweep going a thousand miles an hour, and the entire planet is hurtling around the sun at 67 thousand miles an hour, and I can feel it. With all and through time and space, with you and me, clinging to the skin of this tiny, little world, afraid to fall of if we let go." He dropped their hands, and said, "That's who I am. Now forget me Rose Tyler, and Lexioanna Steinfeild. Go home." He picked up the fake arm, and strode off.

"But Doctor what if I don't want too?" Lexi asked quietly, her mind whirring with everything he just said and all the possibilities. Rose walked away, pulling Lexi behind her. As they went through a nearby park, a whirring sound could be heard, Lexi gave a tug on Rose's hand, and dragged her back to where they were. Nothing was there, Lexi frowned in disappointment and confusion, this time, allowing Rose to drag her away.

As much as Rose rather not, she let Lexi convince her to take her to Mickey's flat to look up 'the Doctor'. The girls walked together in silence. Both of them lost in their thoughts, thinking different things about the same thing. When they arrived Mickey smiled and kissed Rose on the cheek. Lexi squeezed past them calling over her shoulder, "Mickey, I'm borrowing you computer for a minute!" Mickey looked a Rose who shrugged.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" he asked.

"Sure, but clean the mug first. I don't mean rinse, I mean wash it," Rose said turning to follow Lexi.

"What about you Lex?" he asked.

"Don't call me that!" she shouted in response, shooting a glare out his bedroom door and down the hallway at him. For some reason only known to her, she didn't like being called Lex. Lexi sat back in the chair as Rose came in and sat on Mickey's bed. Lexi pulled up the internet, and typed in the search bar 'Doctor', it shows about 18,000,000 results. With a huff she leans back, resting her head on the back of the chair. Rose stars at her friend, a frown on her face.

"You know, that can't be good for you neck." Earning her only a huff in response, Rose rolls her eyes. "Why don't you try searching up something about living plastic?" Lexi's closed eyes shot open as she sat up, and typed it in.

"Why didn't I think of that?" she asked nobody in particular. This got her 55,300 results. "That narrows it down some." She started chewing on her bottom lip, trying to think. Getting an idea, she typed in 'Doctor Blue Box'. This got 493 results, a small grin slipped onto her lips. She began reading the links on the page, and clicked on the first one, it read 'Doctor Who'. The site had the tittle at the beginning of the page, and a picture of the man they just saw. "Rose take a look at this." Said girl stood up and read the site over Lexi's shoulder.

Mickey's little yellow VW beetle pulled up to a seemingly normal street. As soon as the car was in park, Lexi jumped out, and leaned her arms on Rose's rolled down window, listening to her and Mickey argue.

"Neither of you can go in there! What if something happens? What if he's a murderer?" Looking right at Lexi, Mickey said, "Your mother will literately kill me." Lexi rolled her, a sarcastic grin teasing her lips.

"Oh, I see how it is. You're not worried about me at all." Before he could respond, the dark haired girl stood up and walked off. Rose convinced Mickey that she would watch over Lexi while they were inside. Rose catches up to Lexi just in time for the front door to open. It opens to reveal a young boy, just barely starting his teenage years.

"Hello, we've come to see Clive? We've been e-mailing."

The boy nods his head and calls into the house, "Dad it's some of nutters." Rose gapes at him as Lexi snickers.

"What are you laughing at? You're a nutter too!" Lexi shrugged, grinning as Rose glared.

"Never said I wasn't." An older heavy set man comes to door, seeing the girls he gives a polite smile.

"Oh, you must be Lexi and Rose, I'm Clive."

"I'm Lexi and this is Rose, it's a pleasure to meet you," said Lexi, the manners in grained in her since childhood coming out.

"I should warn you now," said Rose with a smile,"that's my boyfriend over there. Just in case you kidnap us or something." Mickey immediately rolled down his window, and agave a glare. Clive gave a hearty laugh and led the girls to the shed in his backyard.

"A lot of this stuff's quite sensitive. I couldn't just send it to you. People might intercept it, if you know what I mean." Clive began shuffling through a stack of papers on a shelf. "If you dig deep enough and keep a lively mind, this Doctor keeps cropping up all over the place." Finding what he wanted, Clive pulled out a file and set it down on a table in front of the girls. "Political diaries, conspiracy theories, even ghost stories. No first name, no last name, just the Doctor. Always The Doctor. And the title seems to have been passed down from father to son. It appears to be an inheritance." Pointing the computer screen he had in his shed, Clive asked, "That's your Doctor there, isn't it?"

Rose nodded as Lexi said,"yeah."

"I tracked it down to the Washington public archive just last year. The online photo's enhanced, but if we look at the original" He began showing the girl multiple pictures from different enhancements, the final being of President Kennedy's cortege going through Dallas, the Doctor being one of the many faces in the crowd. "November the 22nd, 1963. The assassination of President Kennedy. You see?"

"It must be his father," Rose said.

"Going further back. April 1912. This is a photo of the Daniels family of Southampton, and friend. This was taken the day before they were due to sail off for the New World on the Titanic, and for some unknown reason, they cancelled the trip and survived. And here we are, 1883, another Doctor." Clive said as he put away the photo and pulled out a sketch. "And look, the same lineage. It's identical. This one washed up on the coast of Sumatra on the very day Krakatoa exploded. The Doctor is a legend woven throughout history. When disaster comes, he's there. He brings the storm in his wake and he has one constant companion."

"Who's that?" both girls asked.

"Death." Lexi snorted and rolled her eyes. "If the Doctor's back, if you've seen him, Rose, Lexi, then one thing's for certain. We're all in danger. If he's singled you out, if the Doctor's making house calls, then God help you."

"But who is he? Who do you think he is?" asked Rose, suddenly worried.

"I think he's the same man. I think he's immortal. I think he's an alien from another world."

While the girls were talking to Clive, Mickey was sitting in his car, a frown on his face. He recognized the look on both girls' faces. Lexi's was determined curiosity, and Rose's was protectiveness. Ever since the first met the girl when she was fourteen, Mickey and Rose thought of her as a little sister. Mickey was thinking off what had peeked Lexi's interest this time, when he heard he trash bin rattle. He looked at it, it rattled again. Mickey got out of his car, glanced around, an made his way towards it. He opens the lid, saying "Gotchya!" Expecting a kid or animal to be inside it, but nothing is. With a confused look, Mickey lowers the lid, and walks away, only for the lid to stretch, still attached to his hand. He gives a few tugs, nothing happens, he puts his other hand on it, only for it to get stuck. Turning with his back facing the bun, Mickey starts to walk away, trying to get his hands unstuck. With a snap, the lid opens and pulls Mickey inside.

Rose and Lexi lave Clive's house, walk across the street, and get in the car. Lexi, more annoyed then anything else, and Rose wanting to forget this whole thing. "All right," said Rose, "he's a nutter. Off his head. Complete online conspiracy freak. You win! What are we going to do tonight? I fancy a pizza."

Mickey responds with, "Pizza! P-p-p-pizza!" Lexi looks at him curiously, wondering what _that_ was.

"Or Chinese," Rose suggest.

"Pizza!" Mickey exclaims.

"Don't I get a vote?" Lexi ask, not really caring either way.

Mickey only says, "Pizza!" in response, causing both girls to roll their eyes.

The trio went to a local pizza parlor, Lexi looking a Mickey curiously, he was acting stranger then normal, Rose had yet to notice this. Mickey was staring at he girls, a permanent grin on his face, listening to Rose talk, and Lexi's small comments her and there.

"Do you think I should try the hospital? Suki said they had a-jobs going in the canteen. Is that it then, dishing out chips? I could do A Levels. I don't know. It's all Jimmy Stone's fault. I only left school because of him. Look where he ended up. What do you think?"

"I don't Rose. I mean, I could see you working at a canteen, but at the same time I couldn't," said Lexi, imagining Rose getting snarky with a customer.

"So, where did you meet this Doctor?" asked Mickey, drawing the attention to himself.

I'm sorry, wasn't I talking about me for a second?" asked Rose.

"We never mentioned any doctor," said Lexi, only to get ignored. With a huff, she leaned back in her seat, arms crossed, and watched the couple have a fight.

"Because I reckon it started back at the shop, am I right? Was he something to do with that?" asked Mickey, pushing for answers. Lexi glanced around as Rose continued to deny him. She barely heard Mickey call Rose 'babe, sugar, and sweetheart'.

A waiter walked up and said, "Your champagne."

"We didn't order any champagne. Where's the Doctor?"

The waiter turned to Lexi and said "Madam, your champagne." She glanced up, ready to say 'no', but froze. The waiter was the Doctor, he held up a finger to his mouth as a sign to be quiet. A smile spread across her face as she nodded her head and glanced at Rose, curious if she had noticed. Lexi was disappointed to see that she was still arguing with Mickey.

"I need to find out how much you know, so where is he?" Mickey asked.

"Doesn't anybody want this champagne?" asked the Doctor.

"Look," said Mickey, turning, "we didn't order it." He looks up and sees the Doctor. "Ah. Gotcha." The Doctor starts shaking the bottle, a grin on his face.

"Don't mind me. I'm just toasting the happy couple. On the house!" He releases the cage around the cork and it flies, hitting Mickey's forehead. His forehead absorbs it, a moment later, he spits it out. Mickey stands up and turns his hand into a chopper. Rose flees, screaming, as Lexi follows after her. The Doctor grabs Mickey and pulls his head off, seeing this the rest of the customers scream. Rose and Lexi glance at each, nod, then start herding people out of pizza parlor. The body gets up and starts flailing around. Rose, Lexi, and the Doctor run through the kitchen, the Doctor carrying the head, while the body wrecks the restaurant before following after them. The Doctor seals the exit shut while Rose runs down the alley way. Lexi was going to follow, until she spotted a blue box. She looked at it curiously head cocked to the side, wondering what it was doing there. The Doctor walks up to Lexi, ignoring Rose, who was messing with the gate, and 'Mickey' who has banging on the door.

"Would you like to go inside?" he ask, motioning her in with a finger.

"Does this work?" The Doctor looks at Lexi, wondering what she meant. "You just crook a finger and people jump in your snog box and you fly away?" The Doctor looks at Lexi, shocked, she just called his TARDIS a 'snog box'.

Shaking his head, the Doctor says, "That's not what this is. It's a spaceship." Glancing back at the door behind her, Lexi could still her 'Mickey' banging away on the door. With a shrug of her shoulders, Lexi walks past the Doctor and into the TARDIS. She freezes, green eyes wide with wonder, a smile playing on her lips. When her eyes land on console in the middle of the room, she runs up there, and lightly presses her hands on it.

"Oh, what a beauty you are," she whispers. The Doctor grins, then his attention is pulled away from her to Rose, who is outside.

"You can't hide inside a wooden box. It's going to get us! Doctor! Lexi!" Rose tries the gate one last time, then runs inside the TARDIS. She stops. takes one look, then steps out again. and runs around the box several times. Hearing sirens in the distance, Rose runs back inside, at 'Mickey' finally smashes through the door. "It's going to follow us!"

"The assembled hoards of Genghis Khan couldn't get through that door, and believe me, they've tried. Now, shut up a minute." Lexi snorts at Rose's shocked look. "You see, the arm was too simple, but the head's perfect. I can use it to trace the signal back to the original source. Right. Where do you want to start?"

"Er, the inside's bigger than the outside?" asked Rose.

"Yes."

"It's alien."

"Yeah."

"Are you alien?"

"Yes. Is that all right?" Rose looked at Lexi, who was leaning against the console, grinning.

"Yeah," both girls said.

"Next question," spoke up Lexi, "What is it, and where can I get one?"

"It's called the TARDIS, this thing. T-A-R-D-I-S. That's Time And Relative Dimension In Space." Rose burst into tears, Lexi's smile immediately slipped from her face. She walked forward and wrapped Rose in hug. "That's okay. Culture shock. Happens to the best of us." If Lexi had been able to, she would've slapped him.

"Did they kill him? Mickey? Did they kill Mickey? Is he dead?" asked Rose, pulling away slightly from Lexi.

"Oh. I didn't think of that."

"He's my boyfriend. You pulled off his head. They copied him and you didn't even think? And now you're just going to let him melt?"

"Melt?" the Doctor asked, not understanding. He turned to see that the head, was in fact, melting. "Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" The Doctor pulled a lever, and the TARDIS began moving.

"What're you doing?" asked Lexi.

"Following the signal. It's fading. Wait a minute, I've got it. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Almost there. Almost there. Here we go!" The TARDIS landed and the Doctor ran out the door.

"You can't go out there. It's not safe," called Rose. Rose and Lexi looked at each other, then followed the Doctor. The girls stepped out and entered the norht backof the Thames, next to the RAF monument.

"I lost the signal, I got so close," the Doctor complained.

"We've moved. Does it fly?"

"Disappears there and reappears here. You wouldn't understand." Hearing that, Lexi rolled her eyes.

"If we're somewhere else, what about that headless thing? It's still on the loose," Rose said.

"It melted with the head. Are you going to witter on all night?"

"I'll have to tell his mother. Mickey. I'll have to tell his mother he's dead, and you just went and forgot him, again! You were right, you are alien."

"Look, if I did forget some kid called Mickey."

"Yeah, he's not a kid."

"It's because I'm trying to save the life of every stupid ape blundering on top of this planet, all right?"

"All right."

"Yes, it is!"

Deciding to interrupt before another fight could break out, Lexi asked, "If you are an alien, how comes you sound like you're from the North?"

"Lots of planets have a north."

"What's a police public call box?" asked Rose.

"It's a telephone box from the 1950's. It's a disguise."

"Okay. And this, this living plastic. What's it got against us?"

"Nothing. It loves you. You've got such a good planet. Lots of smoke and oil, plenty of toxins and dioxins in the air, perfect. Just what the Nestene Consciousness needs. It's food stock was destroyed in the war, all its protein plants rotted, so Earth, dinner!"

"Any way of stopping it?" asked Lexi. The Doctor held up a tube of blue liquid.

"Anti-plastic."

"Anti-plastic," Rose stated.

"Anti-plastic," he confirmed. "But first I've got to find it. How can you hide something that big in a city this small?"

"Hold on. Hide what?"

"The transmitter. The Consciousness is controlling every single piece of plastic, so it needs a transmitter to boost the signal."

"What's it look like?" asked Lexi.

"Like a transmitter. Round and massive, slap bang in the middle of London." Lexi looked behind the Doctor, spotting what he was talking about. "A huge circular metal structure like a dish, like a wheel. Radial. Close to where we're standing. Must be completely invisible. What? What?" Lexi smiled, waiting for him to figure it out. With a glance at Rose, Lexi knew she had figured it also. The Doctor turns to look at the girls, one is smiling and the other is staring behind him. The doctor turns back around to see what they're staring at, but it doesn't register in his head. "What? What is it? What?" He finally catches on to what the girls are staring at, it's the London Eye, on the south bank of the Thames, and is is the biggest Wheel in the world, so far. "Oh. Fantastic!"

"Took you long enough," Lexi states with a chuckle. The trio runs across Westminster Bridge.

"Think of it, plastic all over the world, every artificial thing waiting to come alive. The shop window dummies, the phones, the wires, the cables-"

"The breast implants," Rose says, earning a look from the Doctor and chuckle from Lexi.

"Still, we've found the transmitter. The Consciousness must be somewhere underneath," the Doctor said.

"What about down here?" Lexi ask, having spotted a large manhole entrance at the bottom of some steps.

"Looks good to me," the Doctor said. They run down and the Doctor opens up the hatch, inside, they see a red light. The climb down a short ladder, the Doctor making sure the girls don't fall, into a brick-built area with lots of chains. From there they go through a door and down a flight of steps into a multi-level chamber. "The Nestene Consciousness. That's it, inside the vat. A living plastic creature."

"Well, then. Tip in your anti-plastic and let's go," said Rose.

"I'm not here to kill it. I've got to give it a chance." The Doctor goes down a catwalk overlooking the seething vat, Lexi follows. "I seek audience with the Nestene Consciousness under peaceful contract according to convention 15 of the Shadow Proclamation." The stuff in the vat flexes in response. "Thank you. If I might have permission to approach?" Rose spots someone on a lower level and runs down there.

"Oh, God! Mickey, it's me! It's okay. It's all right," she said to him.

"That thing down there, the liquid. Rose, it can talk!" he said to, panicked.

"Hey Mickey," Lexi called out when she saw him.

"You're stinking. Doctor, Lexi, they kept him alive."

"Yeah, that was always a possibility. Keep him alive to maintain the copy."

"You knew that and you never said?"

"Can we keep the domestics outside, thank you?" The Doctor continues waling downwards, Lexi trailing after. "Am I addressing the Consciousness? Thank you. If I might observe, you infiltrated this civilization by means of warp shunt technology. So, may I suggest, with the greatest respect, that you shunt off?" A sort of face formed in the vat. "Oh, don't give me that. It's an invasion, plain and simple. Don't talk about constitutional rights. I am talking! This planet is just starting. These stupid little people have only just learnt how to walk, but they're capable of so much more. I'm asking you on their behalf. Please, just go."

"Doctor!" Rose shouted. A pair of shop dummies grabbed the Doctor, another pair grabbed Lexi. One dummy grabs the vial of anti-plastic out the Doctor's pocket.

"That was just insurance. I wasn't going to use it. I was not attacking you. I'm here to help. I'm not your enemy. I swear, I'm not. What do you mean?" A door slides back to reveal the TARDIS. " No. Oh, no. Honestly, no. Yes, that's my ship. That's not true. I should know, I was there. I fought in the war. It wasn't my fault. I couldn't save your world! I couldn't save any of them!"

"Doctor, what's going on?" asked Lexi.

"It's the TARDIS! The Nestene's identified its superior technology. It's terrified. It's going to the final phase. It's starting the invasion! Get out, Rose! Just leg it now!" As the plastic in the vat keeps roaring, Rose decides to phone her mother.

"Rose, think you could phone my parents for me?" Rose nods her head at Lexi.

"Mum?"

_"Oh, there you are. I was just going to phone. You can get compensation. I said so. I've got this document thing off the police. Don't thank me,"_ Jackie replied

"Where are you, mum?"

_"I'm in town."_

"No, go home! Just go home right now!"

_"Darling, you're breaking up. Listen, I'm just going to do a bit of late night shopping. I'll see you later. Ta-ra!"_

"Mum! Mum!" After not getting a response Rose quickly calls Lexi's parents, the phone went straight to voice mail, she leaves a short message warning them not to go outside. The Consciousness starts throwing energy bolts around.

"It's the activation signal. It's transmitting!" The Eye lights up with energy.

"It's the end of the world."

"Get out, Rose! Just get out! Run!" Looking at Lexi, the Doctor says, "I'm sorry you got caught in this Lexi, it shouldn't have happened." Lexi gives a shrug of her shoulders, not feeling nearly as calm as she looks. The dummies try to push both Doctor and Lexi into the vat. Rose and Mickey run to the Tardis, but it's lock, they aren't able to get in. Rose looks around for something, anything that could help her save them. Rose looks at Lexi, then the Doctor, then runs around the chamber.

"Just leave them! There's nothing you can do!" Mickey shouted.

"I've got no A Levels, no job, no future," Rose shouted. She grabs an axe. "But I tell you what I have got. Jericho Street Junior School under 7's gymnastic team. I've got the bronze!" Rose chops through the rope holding a very long chain to the wall and takes firm hold of it. She runs and swings along the side of the catwalk, kicking the dummies of Lexi and the Doctor into the vat. The one also drops the vial of anti-plastic into it. The golden Nestene screams as it starts to turn blue.

"Rose!" the Doctor calls out, catching her as she swings back. "Now we're in trouble." Explosions start and the signals from the Eye stop. The shop dummies start to stagger then fall over. The Doctor, Lexi, and Rose run to the TARDIS,, where Mickey is holding on for dear life, and they all go inside. The TARDIS demilitarizes, and materializes on the Embankment by a row of shuttered kiosks and Mickey runs out, terrified. Rose goes over to Mickey, who is trying to hide behind a pallet. Lxi moves to follow after, but stops halfway there, and glances back. The Doctor stands in the doorway of the TARDIS.

"A fat lot of good you were," she says.

"Nestene Consciousness? Easy."

"You were useless in there. You'd be dead if it wasn't for me," said Rose, joining the conversation.

"Yes, I would. Thank you. Right then, I'll be off, unless, er, I don't know, you could come with me. This box isn't just a London hopper, you know. It goes anywhere in the universe free of charge," the Doctor said to both girls. He noticed Lexi's eyes light up at the offer and couldn't help but let a small smile come to his lips.

"Don't. He's an alien. He's a thing," said Mickey trying to talk the girls out of it.

"He's not invited," the Doctor said, glancing at Mickey. "What do you think? You could stay here, fill your life with work and food and sleep, or you could go anywhere."

"Is it always this dangerous?" Rose asked, concerned.

"Yeah."

Shaking her head, Rose said, "Yeah, I can't. I've er, I've got to go and find my mum and someone's got to look after this stupid lump, so." The Doctor then looked to Lexi, she smiled at Rose apologetically. Rose pulled the dark haired girl in for a hug and said, "You be careful out there, you understand me?" Lexi nods, and pulls away. With an excited smile, she practically runs back the the TARDIS. Before she gets there, she stops and turns around.

"Hey, Rose, take care of home for me, 'kay?' Lexi ask. Rose nods, barely containing her tears. Lexi turns back around, facing the Doctor, and says, "Let's go."


	3. Chapter 2 The End of the World

Inside the TARDIS, the Doctor and Lexi are lit in green light from the time rotor.

"Right then, Lexi Stienfeild, you tell me. Where do you want to go? Backwards or forwards in time. It's your choice. What's it going to be?" the Doctor ask, bouncing a round object in his hand.

"Forwards," she says with a small grin.

The Doctor sets the object down, flicks a switch, and ask, "How far?"

"One hundred years."

A few seconds later, the Doctor says "There you go. Step outside those doors, it's the twenty-second century."

"You're kidding."

"That's a bit boring, though. Do you want to go further?" the Doctor ask.

"Fine by me," Lexi says with a shrug.

"Ten thousand years in the future. Step outside, it's the year 12005, the new Roman Empire."

With a teasing grin, Lexi says, "You think you're so impressive."

"I am so impressive," he says with a disbelieving look.

"You wish."

"Right then, you asked for it. I know exactly where to go. Hold on!" He says with a grin. The TARDIS jostles them around, nearly knocking Lexi to the ground.

"Where are we?" Lexi ask, the Doctor simply holds out a hand. "What's out there?" He does the same thing, still not answering her question. She turns, still smiling, and walks out of the TARDIS. Lexi goes down a few steps, the Doctor stepping out shortly after. He goes over a pad by the door as Lexi walks down a set of stairs. A large shutter in the wall descends to reveal an orbital view of the Earth.

"You lot, you spend all your time thinking about dying, like you're going to get killed by eggs or beef or global warming or asteroids. But you never take time to imagine the impossible, that maybe you survive. This is the year five point five slash apple slash twenty six. Five billion years in your future, and this is the day" he glances at his wrist watch. "Hold on." The sun flares and turns red. "This is the day the Sun expands. Welcome to the end of the world."

A pair of small spaceships approach a large cruciform space station hanging in Earth orbit. A computer says, "Shuttles five and six now docking. Guests are reminded that Platform One forbids the use of weapons, teleportation and religion. Earth Death is scheduled for fifteen thirty-nine."

Lexi and the Doctor walk down a corridor, talking. "So, when it says guests, does that mean people?" Lexi asked.

"Depends what you mean by people," the Doctor replies.

"I mean people. What do you mean?"

"Aliens,' the Doctor says with a grin.

"What are they doing on board this spaceship? What's it all for?"

"It's not really a spaceship, more like an observation deck. The great and the good are gathering to watch the planet burn." They come to a stop, as the Doctor uses his sonic screwdriver on a wall panel.

"What for?" Lexi ask.

"Fun." As that, the Doctor receives a disbelieving look. They enter the observation gallery, a large area with a few display cases and a view of space to the front of the room and above it. "Mind you, when I said the great and the good, what I mean is, the rich."

"But, hold on. They did this once on Newsround Extra. The sun expanding, that takes hundreds of years."

"Millions, but the planet's now property of the National Trust. They've been keeping it preserved. See down there? Gravity satellites holding back the sun."

"The planet looks the same as ever. I thought the continents shifted and things."

"They did, and the Trust shifted them back. That's a classic Earth. But now the money's run out, nature takes over."

"How long's it got?"

"About half an hour and then the planet gets roasted," the Doctor says, flashing a grin.

"Is that why we're here? I mean, is that what you do? Jump in at the last-minute and save the Earth?" Lexi ask with a hopeful smile.

"I'm not saving it. Time's up."

"But what about the people?"

"It's empty. They're all gone. No one left."

"Just me, then," Lexi says, trying to wrap her head around it. A blue-skinned person with golden slit eyes strides toward them.

"Who the hell are you?" he ask.

"Oh, that's nice, thanks," the Doctor says, making a small smile appear on Lexi's face.

"But how did you get in? This is a maximum hospitality zone. The guests have disembarked. They're on their way any second now."

"That's me," the Doctor says, pulling a wallet out of his pocket, and show the man the blank paper in it. "I'm a guest. Look, I've got an invitation. Look. There, you see? It's fine, you see? The Doctor plus one. I'm the Doctor, this is Lexi Stienfeild. She's my plus one. Is that all right?" The Doctor puts away the piece of paper.

"Well, obviously. Apologies, et cetera. If you're on board, we'd better start. Enjoy." The steward leaves and goes over to a lectern.

"The paper's slightly psychic. It shows them whatever I want them to see. Saves a lot of time." The Doctor shows it to Lexi who only frowns at it.

Grabbing it from him, Lexi says, "Doctor, it's blank." He stares at her for a minute, then smiles.

"You're a genius, it works on most people." Lexi grins at the compliment as the Doctor takes the paper back from her.

"By the way, he's blue," Lexi says, referring to the steward.

"Yes," the Doctor said.

"Okay." Their attention gets drawn back to the steward when he begins speaking.

"We have in attendance the Doctor and Lexi Stienfeild. Thank you. All staff to their positions." Several people about half of Lexi's height appear, running to their places. "Hurry, now, thank you. Quick as we can. Come along, come along. And now, might I introduce the next honored guest? Representing the Forest of Cheam, we have trees, namely, Jabe, Lute and Coffa." A bark-skinned woman, wearing a red and gold dress, enters with two, larger male escorts. "There will be an exchange of gifts representing peace. If you could keep the room circulating, thank you. Next, from the solicitors Jolco and Jolco, we have the Moxx of Balhoon." Another blue alien appeared, this time it was mostly head and body, sitting on a transport pod. "And next, from Financial Family Seven, we have the Adherents of the Repeated Meme." A group of black-robed bipeds enter. "The inventors of Hypo-slip Travel Systems, the brothers Hop Pyleen. Thank you." Two, fur clad reptilians enter, the announcements continue as various aliens continue. "Cal Spark Plug. Mister and Mrs Pakoo. The Ambassadors from the City State of Binding Light."

The tree walk up to Doctor and says, "The Gift of Peace. I bring you a cutting of my Grandfather." She gives a rooted twig in a small pot.

"Thank you. Yes, gifts." The Doctor hands the pot to Lexi as he pats his coat pockets. "Er, I give you in return air from my lungs." He gently breathes on her.

"How intimate," she says.

Grinning, the Doctor says, "There's more where that came from." Causing Lexi to raise an eyebrow at him, her lips tugging into a smile as Jabe answers.

"I bet there is."

"From the Silver Devastation, the sponsor of the main event, please welcome the Face of Boe." A large glass case barely makes it through the doorway, containing a humanoid head with straggly hair and squinting eyes.

"The Moxx of Balhoon," the Doctor greets said people.

"My felicitations on this historical happenstance. I give you the gift of bodily salivas," he says in a high-pitched voice. Moxx's spit hits Lexi in the face, landing on her cheek. She blinks for a couple of seconds before wiping the spit off.

"Thank you very much," the Doctors says, slightly nervous, hoping Lexi doesn't say anything. The black-robed group glide up. "Ah! The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. I bring you air from my lungs." A large metal hand holds out a silver ball.

"A gift of peace in all good faith."

"And last but not least, our very special guest. Ladies and gentlemen, and trees and multiforms, consider the Earth below. In memory of this dying world, we call forth the last Human. The Lady Cassandra O'Brien Dot Delta Seventeen," the steward calls out. A face in a piece of thin skin stretched in a rectangular frame is wheeled in by two men hidden in top-to-toe hospital whites.

"Oh, now, don't stare. I know, I know it's shocking, isn't it? I've had my chin completely taken away and look at the difference. Look how thin I am. Thin and dainty. I don't look a day over two thousand. Moisturize me. Moisturize me." One of her attendants uses a pump spray on the skin. "Truly, I am the last Human. My father was a Texan, my mother was from the Arctic Desert. They were born on the Earth and were the last to be buried in its soil. I have come to honor them and say goodbye." Cassandra looked like she was about to cry. "Oh, no tears, no tears. I'm sorry. But behold, I bring gifts. From Earth itself, the last remaining ostrich egg. Legend says it had a wingspan of fifty feet and blew fire from its nostrils." At that Lexi rolled her eyes with a a snort. "Or was that my third husband? Oh, no. Oh, don't laugh. I'll get laughter lines. And here, another rarity." Lexi walked around the back of Cassandra to see just how thin she is, and a 50's juke box is wheeled in. "According to the archives, this was called an iPod." Another snort and eye roll from Lexi. "It stores classical music from humanity's greatest composers. Play on!" One of the little attendants presses a button, a 45 is selected and the strains of "_Tainted Love"_ by Soft Cell ring out. The Doctor moved his shoulders and bobbed his head in time with the music.

"Refreshments will now be served. Earth Death in thirty minutes," said the steward. Feeling overwhelmed, Lexi runs out. The Doctor sees this and goes to follow, but gets interrupted.

"Doctor?" Jabe ask, a flash comes from the device she is holding. "Thank you."

"A gift of peace in all good faith," says an Adherent, offering a silver ball to the steward.

"No, you're very kind, but I'm just the Steward," he says in turn.

"A gift of peace in all good faith."

" Well, yes, thank you. Of course. " The steward takes the proffered ball as Jabe consults her camera, which twitters like a bird.

"Identify species. Please identify species. Now stop it. Identify his race. Where's he from? It's impossible." She hurries away; one of the Adherent's gifts has been placed on a shelf in a display stand. It opens, and a four-legged metal spider scurries away.

Lexi wanders off, and is looking at the growing Sun through a window when a young woman of the same race as the steward comes round the corner. She is wearing overalls and a baseball cap. "Sorry. Am I allowed to be in here?"

"You have to give us permission to talk," she says.

Looking slightly confused, Lexi says "Er, you have permission."

"Thank you." The alien woman smiled at Lexi." And, no, you're not in the way. Guests are allowed anywhere."

"Okay." She smiles at Lexi again before going to a wall panel and unlocks it. "What's your name?" Lexi walks over to lean on the wall, facing the woman.

"Raffalo."

"Raffalo?" Lexi ask, making sure she heard right.

"Yes, miss. I won't be long, I've just got to carry out some maintenance. There's a tiny little glitch in the Face of Boe's suite. There must be something blocking the system. He's not getting any hot water."

"So, you're a plumber?" Lexi ask with a smile.

"That's right, miss."

"They still have plumbers?"

"I hope so, else I'm out of a job," Raffalo said, earning her a chuckle.

"Where are you from?"

"Crespallion."

"That's a planet, is it?"

"No," Raffalo says with a shake of her head. "Crespallion's part of the Jaggit Brocade, affiliated to the Scarlet Junction, Convex fifty six. And where are you from, miss? If you don't mind me asking."

"No, not at all," Lexi says with a smile and shake of her head. "Er, I don't know. A long way away. I just sort of hitched a lift with this man." Lexi's mile started to fall as talked. "I didn't even think about it. I don't even know who he is. He's a complete stranger. Anyway, don't let me keep you. Good luck with it."

"Thank you, miss. And er, thank you for the permission. Not many people are that considerate."

"Okay. See you later." Lexi turns and exits the room. Raffalo removes the wall panel and has a look inside.

"Now then." Raffalo pulls of the panel and speaks into a radio on her shoulder " Control, I'm at junction nineteen and I think the problem's coming from in here. I'll go inside and have a look." Before she can crawl in, there is a tapping sound of metal on metal. "What's that? Is something in there?" Am etal spider, with four legs instead of eight, comes toward her. "Oh! Who are you, then?" It scuttles away. "Hold on! I-if you're an upgrade I just need to register you, that's all. Oh, come back.

She gets inside the conduit. "Ah, there you are. Now, I just need to register your i-dent. Oh, there's two of you. Got yourself a little mate. I think I'd better report this to Control." More show up as she says this. "How many of you are there? What are you? Oh, no, no, no!" Raffalo gets dragged along the conduit.

The Steward puts his gift on a side table and sits at his desk. The computer beeps and burbles at him. " What's that?" It burbles again. "Well, how should I know?" He clicks a button to announce of an intercom, "Would the owner of the blue box in private gallery fifteen please report to the Steward's office immediately. Guests are reminded that use of teleportation devices is strictly forbidden under Peace Treaty five point four slash cup slash sixteen. Thank you." Unbeknownst to him, the ball hatches another metal spider.

Lexi is sitting on the steps where the TARDIS was originally parked, playing with the silver ball. "Earth Death in twenty five minutes," announced the computer.

"Oh, thanks," said Lexi sarcastically. She puts the ball down, picks up the plant, and starts talking to it. "Hello, my name's Lexi, that's not really a plant, but I have a friend named Rose, that's a type of flower, maybe you're related." With a furrow of her eyebrows, Lexi put the pot down and runs a hand through her hair, pushing it back only for it to fall back in place. "Look at me, I'm talking to a twig." Staring out the window, she doesn't notice the ball hatch.

The little assistants from earlier are wheeling the TARDIS away. "Oi, now, careful with that. Park it properly. No scratches," the Doctor says, observing them. One of them hands the Doctor a ticket. It says on one side '_Have A Nice Day'_. Without his notice, a pair of spiders scuttle along the ceiling.

The spider scans Lexi's hand then scuttles away when the Doctor calls out. "Lexi. Are you in there?_ The Doctor enters the room, and sits on the opposite side of the steps then her. "Aye, aye. What do you think, then?"

Running her hand through her hair again, Lexi says, "Great. Yeah, fine. Once you get past the slightly psychic paper." That made the Doctor smile at her, but dropped it once she sighed. "They're just so alien. The aliens are so alien. You look at 'em and they're alien."

"Good thing I didn't take you to the Deep South," he say jokingly.

"Where are you from?"

"All over the place," he says with a shrug.

"They all speak English."

"No, you just hear English. It's a gift of the TARDIS. The telepathic field, gets inside your brain and translates."

"It's inside my brain?" Lexi asked, not sure if she was _really _okay with that.

"Well, in a good way."

With a shake of her head, Lexi says, "Your machine gets inside my head. It gets inside and it changes my mind, and you didn't even ask?"

With a frown the Doctor says, "I didn't think about it like that."

"Course you didn't, you were too busy thinking up cheap shots about the Deep South." Biting her lip, Lexi looked at him, then asked the question that was really bugging her. "Who are you, then, Doctor? What are you called? What sort of alien are you?"

Getting up he replied, "I'm just the Doctor."

"From what planet?"

"Well, it's not as if you'll know where it is!" he shouted.

"Where are you from?" she shouted back, matching his tone.

"What does it matter?"

"Tell me who you are!"

"This is who I am, right here, right now, all right? All that counts is here and now, and this is me."

"Yeah, and I'm here too because you brought me here, so just tell me."

"Earth Death in twenty minutes. Earth Death in twenty minutes," announced the computer. Lexi sighed and decided to drop the argument for now, she got up and stood beside him.

"All right. As my mate Jessica says, don't argue with the designated driver." Pulling out her cell phone, Lexi says, "Can't exactly call for a taxi. There's no signal. We're out of range. Just a bit." The Doctor smiled at her, relived that she decided to drop it.

"Tell you what," he said, grabbing it from. He flips the phone and pulls it apart. "With a little bit of jiggery pokery.'

With a smile Lexi says, "Is that a technical term, jiggery pokery?"

Smiling back at her, the Doctor says, "Yeah, I came first in jiggery pokery. What about you?"

"No, sorry, I failed hullabaloo."

"Oh. There you go." He handed the phone back to her. She went through her contact list, stopping on the one that said 'Mum and Dad', she pressed call.

_"Hello?" _a female voice answered.

"Mum?" Lexi asked, a smile spreading across her face.

_"What is it, sweetheart? What's wrong? You seem upset. There must be something, you never phone in this late at night." _Lexi starts laughing at the fact that she's on space, a hundred billion years later, and her mum was worried about her calling during the evening. _"What's so funny?"_

"Nothing. You and Dad all right, though?"

_"Of course we are, why wouldn't we?"_

"What day is it?"

_"Sunday, all day and night. You haven't done anything illegal have you?" _Lexi laughs again at her mother's question, after a monet her mother joins in. _"Alright, you haven't done anything out of the usual have you?"_

"No I haven't. Mum, I'm not sure when I'll be home."

_"Okay, just ring us whenever you can. Love you. "_

"Love you too Mum, and tell Dad I love him." Lexi hung up after her mother agreed and turned to face the Doctor.

"Think that's amazing, you want to see the bill."

"That was five billion years ago. So, she's dead now. Five billion years later, my mum's dead."

The Doctor rolled his eyes and said, "Bundle of laughs, you are." The station shakes, forcing Lexi to grab onto the Doctor to stop from falling. "That's not supposed to happen."

"Well, what was it? I'm just getting green lights at this end," the steward ask his computer. Pressing a button, he calmly announces, "Honored guests may be reassured that gravity pockets may cause slight turbulence, thanking you." He then continues to berate the control. "The whole place shook! I felt it. I've hosted all sorts of events on Platforms One, Three, Six and Fifteen and I've never felt the slightest tremor. I warn you, if this lot decide to sue. I'm going to scan the infrastructure." He does as says, then hears a scuttling noise. "What's that? Control, I don't want to worry you, but I'm picking up readings. I have no idea. Well, they're small. The scan says they're metal. I don't know what they look like!" Then he sees the metal spider on his desk. "Although I imagine they might look rather like that. You're not on the guest list. How did you get on board?" Instead of answering, it presses a button on his keyboard. "No," the steward gaps.

"Sun filter deactivated," the computer says.

"No!"

"Sun filter descending." The room starts to fill with white light from the ceiling downwards as the filters leaves the window.

"No! Sun filter, up! No, no, no!" The steward shouts as he presses buttons, trying desperately to stop it.

"External temperature four thousand degrees." The spider escapes through a panel in the corridor.

"Indubitably, this is the Bad Wolf scenario. I find the inherent laxity of the on-going multiverse.," say the Moxx. Shortly after the Doctor and Lexi enter.

"That wasn't a gravity pocket. I know gravity pockets and they don't feel like that," the Doctor said, spotting Jabe he addressed her. "What do you think, Jabe? Listened to the engines. They've pitched up about thirty Hertz. That dodgy or what?"

"It's the sound of metal. It doesn't make any sense to me," she said smiling.

"Where's the engine room?" he asked her.

"I don't know, but the maintenance duct is just behind our guest suite, I could show you and your wife," Jabe said, nodding at Lexi.

"She's not my wife."

"Partner?"

"No."

"Concubine?" At this, Lexi's eyes were wide with shock and disbelief.

"Nope."

"Prostitute?"

"Whatever I am, it must be invisible. Do you mind?" Lexi asked, feeling offended. "Can we just assume that I'm not his," she said pointing at the Doctor. "Tell you what, you two go and pollinate. I'm going to catch up with family. Quick word with Michael Jackson." With that Lexi left before the doctor could say anything.

"Don't start a fight," he calls after her, offering Jabe his arm. "I'm all yours."

Pausing, and turning around, Lexi said, "And I want you home by midnight."

"Earth Death in fifteen minutes. Earth Death in fifteen minutes," the computer announced.

A multitude of spiders scuttle out of sight behind the swags of wiring and piping as the Doctor and Jabe enter.

"Who's in charge of Platform One? Is there a Captain or what?"

"There's just the Steward and the staff. All the rest is controlled by the metal mind."

"You mean the computer? But who controls that?"

"The Corporation, they move Platform One from one artistic event to another."

"But there's no one from the Corporation on board."

"They're not needed. This facility is purely automatic. It's the height of the Alpha class. Nothing can go wrong."

"Unsinkable?"

"If you like. The nautical metaphor is appropriate," Jabe said, nodding her head in agreement  
.

"You're telling me. I was on board another ship once. They said that was unsinkable. I ended up clinging to an iceberg. It wasn't half cold. So, what you're saying is, if we get in trouble there's no one to help us out?"

"I'm afraid not," Jabe affirmed, looking regretful.

"Fantastic," the Doctor said, grinning.

"I don't understand. In what way is that fantastic?"

"Soon, the sun will blossom into a red giant, and my home will die. That's where I used to live, when I was a little boy," At this remark, Cassandra earned a strange look from Lexi. "Down there. Mummy and Daddy had a little house built into the side of the Los Angeles Crevice. I'd have such fun."

"What happened to everyone else? The human race, where did it go?" Lexi asked curiously.

"They say mankind has touched every star in the sky."

"So, you're not the last human," Lexi confirmed.

"I am the last pure human. The others mingled." At the last word, Cassandra seemed to leer. " Oh, they call themselves New humans and Proto-humans and Digi-humans, even 'Humanish, but you know what I call them? Mongrels."

"Right," Lexi said, rolling her eyes. "And you stayed behind."

"I kept myself pure."

"How many operations have you had?" Lexi asked, seriously annoyed with Cassandra.

"Seven hundred and eight. Next week, it's seven hundred and nine. I'm having my blood bleached. Is that why you wanted a word? You could be flatter, Lexi. You've got a little bit of a chin poking out."

Lexi rolled her eyes, "I wonder why. Honestly though, I'd rather die."

"Honestly, it doesn't hurt."

That's not the point Cassandra. I would rather die. It's better to die than live like you, a bitchy trampoline."

"Oh, well. What do you know."

"I was born on that planet, and so was my mum, and so was my dad, and that makes me _officially _the last _human being _in this room, 'cos you're not human. You've had it all nipped and tucked and flattened till there's nothing left. Anything human got chucked in the bin. You're just skin, Cassandra. Lipstick and skin. Nice talking." Lexi turned and waled away, the Adherents watching her the whole time.

In the maintenance duct, the Doctor and Jabe were talking, trying to figure out what was going on."So tell me, Jabe, what's a tree like you doing in a place like this?"

"Respect for the Earth."

"Oh, come on. Everyone on this platform's worth zillions."

"Well, perhaps it's a case of having to be seen at the right occasions."

"In case your share prices drop? I know you lot. You've got massive forests everywhere, roots everywhere, and there's always money in land."

"All the same, we respect the Earth as family. So many species evolved from that planet. Mankind is only one. I'm another. My ancestors were transplanted from the planet down below, and I'm a direct descendant of the tropical rain-forest."

"Excuse me," the Doctor says as he scans a door panel marked _Welcome to Platform One_. 'Guide of Platform One Do You Need Assistance'. A keypad labelled Maintenance Log in, then Access Denied.

"And what about your ancestry, Doctor? Perhaps you could tell a story or two. Perhaps a man only enjoys trouble when there's nothing else left. I scanned you earlier. The metal machine had trouble identifying your species. It refused to admit your existence. And even when it named you, I wouldn't believe it. But it was right. I know where you're from. Forgive me for intruding, but it's remarkable that you even exist. I just wanted to say how sorry I am." Jabe puts her hand on his arm, and the Doctor puts his hand over hers. A tear drops from his eye; he gets the door open. The engine room runs the whole depth of the Platform. The Doctor and Jabe are by a catwalk that runs through a series of large fans.

"Is it me, or is it a bit nippy? Fair do's, though, that's a great bit of air conditioning. Sort of nice and old fashioned. Bet they call it retro." He turns and scans a panel. "Gotcha." He pulls the panel off, a spider scuttles out and up the wall. "What the hell's that?"

"Is it part of the retro?" Jabe ask, trying to help out.

"I don't think so," the Doctor says. "Hold on." He aims his screwdriver at the spider, then Jabe lassoes it. "Hey, nice liana," he says grinning at her.

Smiling, Jabe replies, "Thank you. We're not supposed to show them in public."

"Don't worry, I won't tell anybody." He looks down at the spider in his hand. "Now then, who's been bringing their pets on board?"

"What does it do?"

"Sabotage."

"Earth Death in ten minutes," the computer announces.

"And the temperature's about to rocket. Come on."

"Earth Death in ten minutes," it repeats.

In a corridor, Lexi is met by the Adherents. One throws his arm out, trying to knock her out with a pistol. She quickly ducks, having grown up wandering the streets of London. Another comes from behind and grabs her, Lexi starts kicking her feet, hoping to do some damage. The one with the pistol walks up and hits her on the head, successfully knocking her out. They then proceed to carry her to a room, drop her on the floor, then lock the door.

"The planet's end," Cassandra starts, "Come gather, come gather. Bid farewell to the cradle of civilization Let us mourn her with a traditional ballad." The jukebox selects a record and starts playing _'Toxic' _by Brittany Spears.

Outside the Steward's office smoke, from the room, was filling the corridor as the glare came through a small glass panel in the door. The little assistants gathered around, unsure what to do.

"Hold on. Get back," ther Doctor told them, he uses the sonic on another small panel.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising," the computer announces.

"Is the Steward in there?!" Jabe asked, shocked.

"You can smell him. Hold on, there's another sun filter programmed to descend," the Doctor says before running off.

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending," the computer announces, waking Lexi up. She sits up and sees the deadly glare begin to fill the room. Lexi gets up and runs to the door.

"Let me out! Let me out!" This goes on for several minutes, the computer talking over Lexi, Lexi demanding to be let out. The Doctor runs up to the same door, asking if anyone was in there as he works on the door. "Doctor? Get me out of here!"

Outside the room, the Doctor shouts, "Oh, well, it would be you."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Instead if answering he says, "Hold on. Give us two ticks." The scorching rays reach the top of the door.

"Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising." Both the Doctor and Lexi let out a relieved breath. "Sun filter descending."

"Just what we need," says the Doctor with a roll of his eyes. "The computer's getting clever."

"Stop mucking about!"

"I'm not mucking about. It's fighting back." Glancing around, Lexi runs down the stairs, away from the glare as it moves down the door, and crouches on one of the lower levels.

"Sun filter descending. Sun filter descending. Sun filter rising. Sun filter rising." Lexi gets up and runs back to the door.

"The whole thing's jammed. I can't open the doors. Stay there! Don't move!"

"Where are am I going to go, Wonderland?"

"Earth Death in five minutes."

Everyone, besides Lexi, had gathered in the observation gallery. The Doctor walked, looking none to pleased.

" The metal machine confirms. The spider devices have infiltrated the whole of Platform One," Jabe told the room.

"How's that possible? Our private rooms are protected by a code wall. Moisturize me, moisturize me," says Cassandra.

"Summon the Steward," says the Moxx.

"I'm afraid the Steward is dead," Jabe told him.

"Who killed him?"

"This whole event was sponsored by the Face of Boe," interrupted Cassandra. "He invited us. Talk to the Face. Talk to the Face."

"Easy way of finding out," the Doctor said. "Someone bought their little pet on board. Let's send him back to master." He puts down the spider that Jabe had been scanning, it scuttles off to Cassandra, scans her, then goes to the black gowned group.

"The Adherents of the Repeated Meme. J'accuse!" Cassandra exclaimed.

"That's all very well, and really kind of obvious, but if you stop and think about it," the Doctor said with a shrug. He goes over to the Adherents, their leader tries to hit him, so he pulls of its arm. "A Repeated Meme is just an idea, and that's all they are, an idea." He pulls one of the wires dangling from the arm, all the Adherents collapse. "Remote controlled Droids. Nice little cover for the real troublemaker. Go on, Jimbo. Go home." The Doctor gives the spider a nudge with foot and it returns to Cassandra.

"I bet you were the school swot and never got kissed. At arms! " Cassandra shouted, outraged. Her attendants raise their spray guns threateningly.

"What are you going to do, moisturize me?"

"With acid. Oh, you're too late, anyway. My spiders have control of the mainframe. Oh, you all carried them as gifts, tax free, past every code wall. I'm not just as pretty face."

"Sabotaging a ship while you're still inside it? How stupid's that?"

"I'd hoped to manufacture a hostage situation with myself as one of the victims. The compensation would have been enormous."

"Five billion years and it still comes down to money.," the Doctor says, shaking his head.

"Do you think it's cheap, looking like this? Flatness costs a fortune. I am the _last human_, Doctor._ Me_. Not that freaky little kid of yours."

"Arrest her, the infidel," the Moxx declared.

"Oh, shut it, pixie. I've still got my final option," Cassandra told him.

"Earth Death in three minutes," the computer announced.

"And here it comes. You're just as useful dead, all of you. I have shares in your rival companies and they'll triple in price as soon as you're dead. My spiders are primed and ready to destroy the safety systems. How did that old Earth song go? Burn, baby, burn."

"Then you'll burn with us," Jabe told her.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I know the use of teleportation is strictly forbidden, but I'm such a naughty thing. Spiders, activate." There's a series of explosions through out the Platform. "Force-fields gone with the planet about to explode. At least it'll be quick. Just like my fifth husband. Oh, shame on me."

"Safety systems failing," announced the computer.

"Bye, bye, darlings. Bye, bye, my darlings," Cassandra says just before beaming out with her attendants.

"Heat levels rising," the computer announced.

"Reset the computer," the Moxx suggested.

"Only the Steward would know how," answered Jabe.

"No," the Doctor said. "We can do it by hand. There must be a system restore switch. Jabe, come on. You lot, just chill."

"Heat rising. Earth Death in two minutes. Earth Death in two minutes. Heat levels critical."

The Doctor and Jabe made it all the way to the maintenance duct, able to hear the computer's announcement.

"Oh. And guess where the switch is,: the Doctor said, having spotted it on the other side of turning, razor sharp fans.

"Heat levels rising. Heat levels rising." The Doctor pulls a breaker lever down and slow a little. He releases it only for the fans to pick up speed. "External temperature five thousand degrees." Jabe pulls the breaker down and holds it.

"You can't. The heat's going to vent through this place."

"I know," Jabe said, decision already made.

"Jabe, you're made of wood," he says.

"Then stop wasting time, Time Lord." The Doctor smiles briefly at this, then turns and walks away.

In the room Lexi's trapped in, the glass begins to crack, letting the sun rays in. She leans against the wall, sliding down to a sitting position, and blocks her eyes from the light.

"Heat levels critical. Heat levels critical." The Doctor looks back at Jabe, then times his run past the second fan. Jabe catches fire, starting on her arms. She lets go of the breaker and the fans speed up to faster than before until they are just a blur.

"Planet explodes in ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five..." The Doctor shuts his eyes, stands there for a few seconds, and walks past the last fan. "Four." He opens his eyes, a grin spreading across his face, realizes he is safe and dashes for the reset breaker.

"Raise shields!" he shouts.

"One." A force field envelopes Platform One as the Earth starts to boil, then explodes. "Exoglass repair. Exoglass repair. Exoglass repair." Lexi opens her eyes as the cracks vanish, she lets out a breath of relief and smiles. Only for the smile to falter seeing the fractured remains of Earth floating by.

In the engine rooms, the fans have slowed right down for the Doctor to walk back easily to Jabe's smoking remains.

Lexi enters the original observation gallery. The Moxx of Balhoon had gotten fried by the glare. The Doctor enters and goes over to the two other trees. He gives them the bad news. Seeing him, Lexi walks over in time to hear him apologize.

"I'm sorry."

"You all right?" she ask him.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm full of ideas, I'm bristling with them," the Doctor says, turning around. "Idea number one, teleportation through five thousand degrees needs some kind of feed. Idea number two, this feed must be hidden nearby." He smashes open the alleged ostrich egg to reveal a small device. "Idea number three, if you're as clever as me, then a teleportation feed can be reversed." He clicks the switch, as Cassandra starts materialize, unaware of it happening.

"Oh, you should have seen their little alien faces." Cassandra is fully there, her eyes wide with shock. "Oh."

"Yeah, oh," Lexi says, disdain clear in her voice.

"The last human," the Doctor sneers.

"So, you passed my little test. Bravo. This makes you eligible to join, er, the Human Club."

"People have died, Cassandra. You murdered them."

"It depends on your definition of people, and that's enough of a technicality to keep your lawyers dizzy for centuries. Take me to court, then, Doctor, and watch me smile and cry and flutter."

"And creak?"

"And what?"

"Creak. You're creaking."

"What? Ah! I'm drying out!" Cassandra says, freaking out. "Oh, sweet heavens. Moisturize me, moisturize me! Where are my surgeons? My lovely boys! It's too hot!"

"You raised the temperature."

"Have pity! Moisturize me! Oh, oh, Doctor. I'm sorry. I'll do anything."

"Doctor," Lexi says. "Help her."

"Everything has its time and everything dies."

"I'm too young!" Cassandra explodes, making Lexi flinch back.

"Shuttles four and six departing. This unit now closing down for maintenance," the computer announces.

Only Lexi and the Doctor are left, looking at the asteroids that were once the Earth as they float past the red giant Sun. "The end of the Earth. It's gone. We were too busy saving ourselves. No one saw it go. All those years, all that history, and no one was even looking. It's just-" The Doctor interrupts Lexi.

"Come with me."

In the middle of London a baby cries, a man laughs. The Doctor and Lexi stand in the middle of teeming people going about their daily lives. "You think it'll last forever, people and cars and concrete, but it won't. One day it's all gone. Even the sky. My planet's gone. It's dead. It burned like the Earth. It's just rocks and dust before it's time," the Doctor told here.

"What happened?" she asked tentatively, remembering the argument from what felt like years ago, although it kind of literately is.

"There was a war and we lost."

"A war with who? What about your people?"

"I'm a Time Lord. I'm the last of the Time Lords. They're all gone. I'm the only survivor. I'm left travelling on my own 'cos there's no one else."

"There's me," Lexi giving him a soft smile.

"You've seen how dangerous it is. Do you want to go home?"

"I don't know," she said shaking her head. "I want-Oh, can you smell chips?"

"Yeah. Yeah."

"I want chips," she decided.

"Me too."

"Right then, before you get me back in that box, chips it is, and you can pay."

"No money," the Doctor says shrugging.

"What sort of date are you?" Lexi ask with a smile. "Come on then, tightwad, chips are on me. We've only got five billion years till the shops close." They walk to the nearest shop, laughing along the way.


End file.
